Kevin Martin: Good to scratch 7-year playoff itch

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Ex-Rocket Kevin Martin knew the Thunder and Rockets would be a good matchup all season long. (Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle)

Thunder guard Kevin Martin returned to the post-season after consecutive near-misses with the Rockets and a long stretch stuck on the outside looking in with the Sacramento Kings.

“It was good to get the seven-year cobwebs off,” Martin said. “I felt antsy at first, but it was just basketball after that. It was fun to be out there.

“You look at it and you feel blessed to be in this opportunity. You never take anything for granted. I played on some pretty good teams (that) just weren’t good enough to sneak in. With this team, we’re good enough to do more than just sneak you. You just had to work every summer and fight through the grind and get to the point you’re in.”

He not only made his return against his previous team, as he expected all along, he went against his Kings teammate and close friend Francisco Garcia.

“I have a lot of friends in this playoff series,” Martin said. “A lot of them texted me before the opening game the other night. We know it’s all business. It’s cool to see them have success and also have success yourself.

“I just knew it was meant to be. We all knew it was meant to be back in October. We felt like we matched up pretty well. We really didn’t care who we played. We just know what we have to do here. We’re going to keep doing what we need to do.”